Breathe In Your Love
by ILoveNeil
Summary: Story set in Dharma times about the blossoming of James and Juliet's relationship.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is the start of a multi-chapter Dharma times fic focusing on none other than Juliet/James. I wrote this super quick and didn't have time to check it over so I apologize for any errors. Please enjoy and remember reviews make my day :)**_

"Where'd my damn glasses go?" Juliet heard James growl out from the bedroom of the house he shared with Miles.

"Here we go again." Miles sighed from across the table, "He's been in a bad mood all damn week... Man, I hate sharing a house."

Juliet took a sip of her coffee, "I don't think it's so bad. It's actually kind of nice having someone around all the time."

"That's because you got Jin." He pointed out bitterly, "Meanwhile I'm stuck with the sassy sarcastic southerner."

"James isn't so bad." She reasoned, "You two seem to get along fine at work."

"Yeah, outside of the house we're all good but living together's a whole other story." He explained, "Some people just aren't meant to be roomates, Jules."

"Oh don't be so dramatic. I'm sure you two just - "

Suddenly James strormed into the room, holding up a very broken pair of glasses with one hand, and snarled, "What the hell did'ja do?" He pushed his way past Juliet and over to Miles who was putting up his hands in surrender.

"Hey, don't blame _me_. You were the one who left them lying around. Not my fault I just happened to step on them."

"Just happened my ass." James shot back with a roll of the eyes, "Ya' always doin' stuff like this."

"Yeah, and like your mr. perfect? Remember yesterday when you ate all the chips and left me _starving_?"

"I didn't eat all the damn chips. I hid 'em 'cause every time ya' eat 'em ya' make a bigger mess than a goddamn- "

"Boys, stop!" Juliet interjected, putting her hand between the pair and pushing them apart, "There's no need to fight over something so petty. James, I'm sure Horace can get you a new pair of glasses that'll be just as good as the old ones."

"It ain't just the glasses, it's _everything_." James corrected, "I can't live with him no more. I gotta get outta here. Rather sleep on the goddamn dock then spend another night with this one."

Juliet took a deep breath in and transformed into peacemaking mode, "You two clearly need to spend some time apart. One of you can stay with me for the week and I'm sure Jin will have no problem coming over here for a few days."

"Great." James drawled out, "I'm gettin' the hell outta here. Lemme' pack an' I'll be over in a few, princess."

"Woah woah woah. Hold the phone." Miles argued, "Who says you get to stay with Jules? Why can't _I_?"

"She don't want you there. Bet she's still creeped out 'bout you peepin' in her window the other day."

Juliet's eyes widened at the statement and she spun towards Miles, "You did_ what?"_

"Huh? I, uhh..." He stuttered, "You know what, LaFleur? You can stay with Jules. I get along better with Jin anyway."

James let out a low laugh, "Thought so."

* * *

After explaining everything to Jin, who was much too excited for the sudden change to Juliet's liking, she opened up a bottle of wine for her and James to share.

"Gonna seduce me with that, roomie?"

She rolled her eyes, "Jin isn't much for merlot. I've been dying to drink this but didn't want to down the entire bottle to myself."

"Well lucky fer you, merlot's a favorite of mine." He smirked as she poured the liquid into two seperate glasses, "Already like livin' with you more than with Bruce."

She brought the glass to her lips to conceal her sudden smile and James continued, "We been here fer over two months an' we ain't nearly spendin' enough time together, ya' know that?"

"I've been focusing on work." She commented, "I think I'm finally getting the hang of it."

"Yeah? You like it over in that grimy motor pool?"

"Mmm." She nodded as she took another short sip, "It's a good change of pace from what I'm used to. The people are nice too."

James ran a hand through his hair, "Saw you an' one a' them guys gettin' pretty cozy yesterday."

"Excuse me?" She asked as she tilted her head, and he shrugged.

"Ya' got a thing fer one a' them grease monkey's?" He questioned as he leaned back in his chair, and when she remained quiet, he urged, "Come on. Ya' gotta at least be a lil' attracted ta' somebody in Dharma village. S'who is he?"

She stared at him blankly and just when he thought she wasn't going to say another word, she returned, "I think the better question is who do _you _have a thing for?"

"How's that better?"

"_Somehow_, you're the stud around here. Every girl melts when you so much as look their way." She explained, "I think the entire town would like to know the answer to my question."

James gave a quasi-shrug, "Fine, darlin', I'll answer first. But just so ya' know, yer not off the hook." He placed his glass on the table before continuing, "I gotta thing fer this real cute blonde. She's real sexy an' I don't know her too well but can't get her off'a my mind."

She felt the red rising to her cheeks and bit the inside of her mouth to keep her composure, "Yeah? Who is she?"

"Name's Carol. Lives a few houses down. Ya' know her?"

Juliet let out a small laugh, "Oh thank god."

"What?" James furrowed his brows, "Wait, ya' didn't think I was talkin' 'bout _you_, did'ja?" He shook his head, "Nah, don't worry, I ain't gonna start askin' ya' out on dates anytime soon."

"Good." She stated, not fully sure if it was the truth or a lie, "Because that would be totally inappropriate."

"'Course it would." He agreed, "Now 'bout the guy that floats _yer _boat..?"

She swallowed, "I, umm...Unfortunetly he likes someone else."

He arched an eyebrow, "Who's that?"

"Horace."

James belted out a laugh and Juliet grinned along with him as she went to pour herself another glass.

"S'where am I sleepin'?" He asked after the laughter had died down and Juliet mulled the question over for a moment.

"With me, of course." She quipped, "Hope you don't mind I prefer to sleep naked."

James eyes widened at the thought and he licked his lips, "Really?"

"No, not really." She rolled her eyes, "You're sleeping in Jin's room, James. Lest you forget, this house has _two _bedrooms, unlike _your _humble abode."

"Right..." He scratched the back of his neck, "But if ya' get lonely, give me a hollar an' I'll jump right in yer bed to keep ya' company."

"Good to know." She deadpanned, _but I'm sure you'd rather be snuggled up next to Carol._

Juliet internally chastised herself for the jealous thoughts. There was no need to be envious, not here, not of James - they were just friends, it was better that way.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews - they really brighten my day! And like always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review :)**_

James' eyes fluttered open and he glanced around at his surroundings in confusion. However, it didn't take him longer than a few seconds to remember where he was, in Juliet's house as opposed to his own.

He sat up in bed and stretched out his arms as he smelled the wafting scent that carried through the air. After hurriedly pulling on a t-shirt and jeans, he stumbled his way into the kitchen to see a very content Juliet standing over the oven.

"What the hell, blondie? That pancakes?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him as she scraped her spatula against the batter in the pan and transported it onto a nearby platter.

"You look like you've never seen a homemade meal before."

He pulled out a chair and plopped down as she placed a plate, fork, and dharma brand syrup in front of him. He looked down at the food and licked his lips, "Ya'd be surprised at how right that is."

She wrinkled her face, "What do you and Miles eat each morning?"

"We don't." He answered with a shrug of the shoulders, "Always skip breakfast an' go down to the cafeteria fer lunch an' dinner."

"That's crazy." She mused, "Why don't one of you whip something up once in a while? It's not rocket science."

James shot her a bemused look, "Like I'd eat somethin' _that _train wreck made." He rolled his eyes, "An' I ain't much of a cook. Don't think I never even turned on a oven." He paused to take a bite of his food, "Mmm...Damn, martha, this is good. I'mma be lookin' to you to make my three square meals fer now on."

She let out a small laugh, "Not going to happen, James." She paused, "But I'd be glad to teach you."

"Yeah? You a chef 'fore ya' came to this rock?"

She shook her head, "Hardly. But I was a waitress once. Back in my teenage days."

"Waitress, huh? Must've looked damn good in that uniform."

"It wasn't Hooters, James." She rolled her eyes, "And I didn't have the job long - got fired the first week."

He chuckled, struggling not to choke on his food, and Juliet glared, jaw set.

"Naw, it's not that." He cleared up, "Just imagin' the poor bastard who had to _tell _ya' you were fired." He laughed again, "Boy, you must've _told him _off. Or just tasered him 'till he turned blue."

She looked down, shaking her head slightly, "I wasn't the same back then."

He had to force himself to keep from rolling his eyes. Sexy, strong, and sure - that's how she was. He couldn't picture her _ever _being any different.

"Then how were ya'?"

"Well for one thing, when I found out I was fired, I broke down crying."

"_You_? _Cryin'_? Now that's believable." He stated sardonically and she had to smile at his lack of knowledge concerning her life.

She was about to shrug the comment off and let him keep on believing she was some sort of unfeeling hard-ass, but then remembered his file.

The file she had read cover to cover.

She knew everything about him, from his childhood up until now, and he had virtually no information about her. It just didn't seem fair.

Letting out a long breath, she began, "My parent's got divorced when I was little. It was horrible - they constantly bad mouthed one another. It came to a point where my father told me and my sister there was no such thing as true love." She paused, "Ever since then I was determined to prove him wrong."

James was in complete shock of the new information Juliet had unexpectedtly decided to spring on him. He had known her for a number of weeks and not once did she make an effort to bring up anything personal - hell, he didn't even know her middle name. For that reason, he kept quiet and listened intently to her words, not wanting to mess up the supposed trust she had in him.

"I wanted so badly to find someone, _anyone_, who I could potentially spend the rest of my life with." She continued on, "And that's when Edmund came in."

"Edmund?" He repeated curiously, catching the bitter way in which she spoke the name.

She swallowed, debating whether or not she'd said too much already, but then she caught the genuine look of concern on James face and went on softly, "My ex-husband. He abused me. I stayed with him because I so badly wanted to believe it was true love. He _said _it was, but then later in the day I'd find him straddling some floozy."

"That bastard." James barked out in disbelief. It was hard to believe Juliet not beating the shit out of a guy who hurt her - let alone getting cheated on in the first place. Why the hell would this Edmund guy even _want _to? Juliet was gorgeous, that was a given. She was witty, too. And she could cook. What more could he ask for?

"He in a mental institution now? He's clearly a wackjob if he couldn't see how great ya' are."

Juliet had to smile at the comment but quickly composed herself, "He's dead."

"Oh." He replied dumbly, "How'd that happen?"

"That's a story for another day." She stated conclusively before clearing her throat, "Finish up your pancakes. You don't want them to get cold."

When he finished eating a good while later, Juliet came up from behind him and reached over his shoulder to grab the dirty silverware. As she did so, her chest entered his field of vision and he let out a low grunt, causing her to turn towards him. She gave a harmless smile as they shared a look and he couldn't help but notice how close their faces - and lips - were.

"Nice. Pancakes. Uhh..." He coughed, "Tasted delicious."

"If you think these are good, then you should try Jin's cooking. He's a natural." She explained as she brought the dishes over to the sink and dropped them in, "He and I alternate cooking every day. When I do it, then he does the dishes and vice versa." She turned back towards him, "The same rules apply for you."

He furrowed his eyebrows and questioned cautiously, "What're ya' sayin'?"

"I'm _saying _you better get washing if you want to make it to work on time."

* * *

James was busy focusing on the security monitors in front of him when he heard the door swing open and Miles and Jin shuffle inside.

"LaFleur." Miles greeted with a smirk, "How are things down in Juliet town?"

"Better than I could'a imagined." He answered, "Farther away from you, the better. Feel bad for Jin though - bein' stuck with you an' all."

"Miles not so bad." Jin chimed in, "Nice getting to know him more."

"_It is_?" James asked incredibly before turning back towards Miles, "You trick him into sayin' that?"

"Hah hah." The man deadpanned, "So you're not going to grovel to switch back with Jin yet?"

"In yer dreams."

"I don't think so. " Miles shook his head, "But you know who _was _in my dreams last night? _Juliet_." He smiled as he let out a low whistle, "Man, she was kinky."

Jin immediately shook his head and scolded, "_Miles_. Do not speak of her like that."

"Right. Sorry." He apologized carelessly before taking a seat by the monitors and continuing low so only James could hear, "The dream was a doozy. It started out with us skinny dipping on the beach and then - "

"Shut it." James suddenly snarled, "Didn't ya' hear Jinbo or ya' in need of'a hearin' aid?"

Miles put his hands up in confusion, "I don't get it. We've talked about this stuff before."

"Yeah, but not when it was 'bout Jules."

Miles folded his arms as he swung his legs onto a nearby table, "Come on, can you _honestly _tell me _you've _never thought of her like that?"

James didn't hesitate, "Never."

"It's never even crossed your mind?" Miles prodded, knowing full well the southerner was lying, "Even last night when you were sleeping under the same roof?"

"Listen, I ain't gettin' interrogated. Don't ya' have some ghost ta' talk to?"

"Whatever, man." Miles rolled his eyes, "At least I'm honest."

* * *

Juliet walked down the path leading to her house after her shift at the motor pool had concluded, wiping her brow to rid the sweat that clung to her forehead. As she further approached the house, she tilted her head at the sight before her. James, who she concluded must've gotten off work early, was using the garden hose to water the rows of sunflowers and other various seeds she had previously planted.

"James?" She called out and he quickly spun around to greet her.

"Oh hey there, princess." He drawled out, and she took a step forward.

"What are you doing?"

"Figured I owed ya' one after lettin' me stay at yer house an' cookin' breakfast an' all." He shrugged, and before she could thank him for the gesture, he pointed the hose in her direction, dousing her with water.

"_James_!" She yelled out, and he couldn't tell if she was angry or amused, "What on _earth _was that for?"

"What? Just gettin' the grease off ya'." He grinned, "I'm doin' ya' a favor here, pigpen."

"Thanks." She deadpanned before narrowing her eyes and commanding sternly, "James. Hand me the hose."

He did as he was told, rolling his eyes as she grabbed the tool from him, "Jeez, t'was just tryin' ta' have a little fun 'round..." He trailed off as he noticed the sudden smirk and glimmer in Juliet's eyes, "Damn it, Jules. Don't you dare."

Ignoring his warning, she pointed the object directly at him, splashing his body and hair with the frigid water. He shook his head to move the strands of wet hair from his eyes and let out a devilish laugh, "Oh, it's on, blondie."

James was behind her in a flash, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her near him with one hand and trying to maneuver the hose out of her grasp with the other.

"James!" She squealed, the most childish, carefree tone he had ever heard her voice speak, "James, let go!"

"Not a chance." He grinned, "Yer in fer it now."

She continued to struggle to break free from his grip and fell to the ground in the process, bringing James down along with her. Breathing heavy, he looked down into her eyes as he slightly lifted himself off her body. As he hovered over her, she pressed her hands to his chest firmly and lingered for a few seconds before ordering, "Get up."

"Why? Yer lookin' pretty fine from this angle."

"Is everything alright over here?" They suddenly heard a gentle voice speak and James swiftly rolled off Juliet and onto his back. They both glanced up to see Horace looking down at them, a mixture of curiosity and amusement strewn across his face.

"Yes, Horace. Everything's fine." Juliet assured him as she rose to her feet and dusted off her jumpsuit.

"Yeah. T'was just showin' Jules the right way ta' water these plants."

"The correct way is by lying on top of one another?" Horace asked with raised eyebrows, then let out a hearty chuckle, "You two certainty are entertaining to say the least."

"Well we try out best, H." James joked, "Gotta keep the boss happy somehow."

Horace gave a warm smile before remembering, "I almost forgot. Amy mentioned you stayed the night at Juliet's."

James quirked an eyebrow, "How'd she know that?"

"It just happened to come up when I spoke with her this afternoon." Juliet explained casually, "Surely the situation isn't a problem, is it?"

"Of course not." Horace assured her, "I was just curious if this was a permanent change?"

"Oh no, no." She quickly answered as James simultaneously stated, "Just might be."

Horace glanced back and fourth between the two and gave a small laugh, "Which is it?"

Juliet shared a glance with James and paused a moment, licking her lips, "We'll just have to see."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry this chapter is so short but it makes way for the next chapter which will be much longer. Thanks again for all the lovely comments and alerts. As always, I hope you enjoy and please review! :)**_

James sauntered over to the motor pool, stopping near a group of workers who were idly standing around, concerned looks plastered on each of their faces.

"Hey fella's." He greeted with a nod of the head, "Ya'll know where's Jules is at? She didn't come home. She workin' late?"

There was a pause, each person awkwardly glancing at one another until a young, fair, dark haired man spoke up, "You didn't hear?"

"Well it only just happened." Another worker observed and James furrowed his brow in sheer confusion.

"Hear what?" He asked, somewhat warily, "Or why don't ya' just tell me where Jules is an' she can tell me herself."

The man bit his lip, "That might be a bit hard." He stated slowly, "Maybe you should go talk to the boss. He's over with Horace." As he spoke, he motioned over to the far side of the motor pool where H was conversing with a group of men - most of who worked security alongside him.

Without a single word, James rushed over to the group of people, Miles and Jin included, and demanded, "Someone wanna tell me what the hell's goin' on?"

"Calm down, Jim." Horace soothed immediately, "I'm going to make sure Juliet arrives back here safe and sound as soon as possible."

"_Back here_?" James growled out in disbelief, "Where the hell is she now? What happened?"

"She messed up one of the van's today." Robert, Juliet's brawny boss, began to explain, "She said it was beyond repair before she even touched it but - " He shook his head, "I had a few choice words for her, she couldn't take it, and she got so angry she stormed into the jungle."

James' eyes widened and he had to clench his fist to keep from exploding, "And you didn't think ta' follow her?"

"Of course I did. But a few miles in I lost her." He justified, "And she was heading towards hostile territory so I wasn't going to risk my life to - "

"Why's everybody just _standin' _here lookin' useless?" James interjected, "Nobody's gonna go out ta' find her?"

"I was just informed of this situation but a few moments ago. I assure you I'm going to send out a team to search for her as soon as possible. She's going to be okay, Jim." Horace assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder for effect, "Why don't you go home and get some rest while I handle everything?"

James shrugged off his grasp, "I'm goin' ta' look fer her - _now_. Not lettin' her fall of a cliff or get shot by a damn hostile."

"Jin, you don't know the area well enough to go out into the jungle alone. It's far too risky."

"I will come." Jin spoke up suddenly and Miles added, "Count me in, too."

"I still don't think I'm comfortable with allowing - " Horace began hesitantly but James brashly cut him off.

"Good thing I'm not askin' fer permission."

* * *

The venture into the jungle was, for the most part, an eerily silent one, the only audible sounds being the twigs that crunched beneath their feet and James' incessant grumbling under his breath.

"How'd the two of ya' know 'bout Jules 'fore I did?" James asked, breaking the silence as he stepped over a fallen log and Miles and Jin stopped short, surprised at the sudden question.

"Huh?" was the only thing either of them could say and James kept his pace as he explained, "Ya'll were already over by H when I showed up demandin' ta' know what the hell was goin' on."

"We were stuck working the monitors when Rob blew up at her." Miles stated as he ran to catch up with the southerner, "When we saw her run into the jungle, we got our asses down there to try and stop her." He shrugged, "By the time we got there, Rob - who's a total douche by the way - was back and Horace was talking about a search party. And then you showed up."

If James bothered to listen to his comrades explanation, he made no sign of it. He instead continued forward, and ordered, "Alright. Let's split up. We'll cover more ground that way."

"LaFleur. That makes _no _sense." Miles stated slowly, "We're miles away from the barracks. We're in _hostile territory. _All splitting up will do is triple the chance that one of us'll get shot."

James didn't respond, giving Miles the incentive to continue, "Maybe if one of us had a _flare _or _walkie.._.But we all rushed off out here without any supplies. _Remember_?"

"Look." James growled out as he spun around to face the two men, "Ya' wanna find the lady or not?"

"Of course I do!" Miles shot back as Jin simply nodded from his spot behind him, "But come on, it's _Juliet_. She can handle herself - she'll be fine. She's tougher than every single damn guy I know. _And _she knows this piece of crap island like the back of her hand." He let out a sigh of frustration, "And if you ask me, she'd be insulted that you don't think she's capable of - "

"Ya' hear that?" James gasped, stopping in his tracks and glancing in every direction.

"Hear what? I don't - "

"Maybe if ya'd shut the hell up then ya' _would _hear it." James shot back before straining his ears to locate the whereabouts of the soft breathing he could only hope belonged to Juliet.

Cautiously, he followed the sound as best he could and his eyes widened as he noticed her form lay limp against a tree, a large gash visible on her forehead.

"Juliet!" He breathed out huskily, falling to his knees and grabbing her wrist to check for a pulse. He let out a relieved breath as he felt her heart beat slowly, then pushed aside a few fallen strands of her hair to get a better look at her cut. He grimaced as his eyes fixated on the blood that stained her fair skin - even _he _could tell she would need stitches.

Gently, he reached out to wipe away the blood, and her eyes remained closed as she winced in pain. James took the movement as a good sign - at least she was partially conscious- and he swiftly motioned for Jin to bring over the canteen of water he had slung around his neck.

Jin did as he was ordered and after taking the object from the Korean's hands, James turned his attention back to the blonde, "Darlin', ya' gotta drink this."  
Eyes still closed, her lips parted slightly, enough for James to lift the canteen between them and tilt her head back as she gulped down the liquid.

"Sweetheart, talk to me." James ordered softly as he took her fragile hand in his own, "I need ya' ta' talk ta' me."

She let out a wordless moan, making no effort to move her body, and Miles suggested, "The three of us should carry her back - let the doctor's in the infirmary look at her."

James glanced down at her petite body, unsure if moving her would cause more damage to her already crippled figure.

"Miles is right." Jin agreed after a moment, "What if hostile come? We need to get her back."

"Alright." James finally decided after a pregnant pause, "Be careful with her, will ya'?"


End file.
